Process of knitting



Feb. 14, 1933. STEVENSON 1,897,917

PROCESS OF KNITTING Filed Aug. 11, 1932 4 Shets-Sheet Feb. 14, 1933. FSTEVENSON 1,897,917

PROCESS OF KNITTING Filed Aug. 11, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 14, 1933.F STEVENSON 1,897,917

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO N6 4 Shets-Sheet 3 NNNNNN OR Feb. 14, 1933.

F. STEVENSON 1,897,917

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NG 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 mvzuron xrroausv Patented Feb. 14,1933 PATENT .5?

FRANK STEVENSON, OF WEST LAWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HOWARD HOSIERYcomm, LNG, 0F SINKING SPRINGS, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN-SYLVANIA.

PROCESS OF KNITTING Application filed August 11, 1932. Serial No.628,387.

This invention relates to the art of knitting, particularly to themanufacture of a knitted fabric especially for hosiery of the neurontype.

While there are nonrun hosiery now manufactured and in use, they aremore or less of thcopen or lace work effect, and are manufactured byfull fashion hose knitting machines, wherein the structure of themachine itself has been substantially modified to produce a nonrun orlocked stitch. In modifying or changing the structure of a full fashionknitting machine to produce a nonrun or lock stitch (which only resultsin the rela tively open or lace efiect fabric more particularly forevening wear) it is very costly, therefore the purpose of the presentinvention is to eliminate this excess expense and the necessity ofmodifying or changing the machine parts of a full fashion knittingmachine, and yet produce a relatively'closely knitted or a relativelyopen or lace nonrun fabric for hosiery at an extremely low costcomparable to the first instance, and without in any way altering,modifying or changing the structure of the machine parts of a fullfashion hose knitting machine.

The fact is while this improved nonrun fabric can be produced forrelatively open or lace work pattern of hosiery where every other orevery two stitches may be locked, it is possible to produce a nonrunfabric where each and every stitch is locked, enabling the fabric to bemade into hosiery for every day street, business and ofiice wear,because in these walks of life hosiery are more apt to be damaged, andas soon as there is the first nick there is liable to be a run.

The present invention, in order to produce either relatively open orlace pat-tern or very closely knitted hosiery, resides particularly inthe modification or changing of the now extensively used shifting pointat a cost so relatively low, that it is incomparable to the cost inmodifying the machine parts of a full fashion hose knitting machine.

For example by providing a shifting point, with either its right or itsleft side cut away, leavingthe groove therein open for the greator partof the length of the point, andusing one with each and every needle, itis possible to produce a nonrun or look stitch, resulting in a nonrunfabric for closely knitted hosiery for street, business and ofiice wear.By using this particular type of shifting point with every other, orpossibly with every two needles it is possible to produce a nonrun orlook stitch, resulting in a nonrun relatively open or lace patternfabric for hosiery especially adapted for evening wear. I

It is to be understood that the particulars herein given are in no waylimitative, and that while still keeping within the scope of theinvention, any desired modification of details and proportions may bemade in the construction of the appliance according to circumstances.

The invention comprises further features and combination of parts to behereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an enlarged view of a piece of hosieryfabric with certain of the stitches locked and widely separated todisclose their construction, illustrating the improved type of shiftingpoint for the purpose of locking the stitch.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view in elevation with the left wall of theshifting point cut away, the shift point adapted for shifting the stitchto the right.

Figure 3 is an enlarged elevational view of the shifting point taken atright angles to that in Figure 2.

Figure l is an enlarged elevational view of the shifting point as inFigure 2 showing it in cooperation with a needle.

Figure 5 is an enlarged elevational view of the lower portion of ashifting point illustrating theright wall thereof cut away, the shiftingpoint adapted to permit shifting to the left.

Figure 6 is an end elevational view of the shifting point shown inFigure 5.

Figure 7 is an enlarged elevational view of the shifting point taken atright angles to that in Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a piece of hosiery fabric with thestitches substantially widely separated, showing a plurality of shiftingpoints and needles in cooperation with every stitch of the fabric, theshifting points being cut away on their right sides to ermit shifting tothe left.

igure 9 is an extremely enlarged perspective view of a piece of nonrunhosiery fabric illustrating the actual locked stitch.

Figure 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a piece of nonrun hosieryfabric with the stitches widely separated and illustrating a pluralityof shifting points in cooperation with every other needle, the rightwall of the shifting point being cut away and thereby permittingshifting to the left, hence permitting a piece of nonrun fabric of theopen or lace fabric to be made.

' Figure 11 is an enlarged view of a piece of nonrun lace pattern fabricwhere the stitches are widely separated, also showing the right handwall of the shifting points cut away and cooperating with every otherneedle to permit shifting to the left, the stitch in readiness to beplaced on a needle.

Figure 12 is an enlarged perspective View of a piece of nonrun fabricwith the stitches widely'separated, illustrating a plurality of shiftingpoints cut away on their left sides permitting shifting to the right,the shifting points being in cooperation with every other needle.

Figure 13 is an enlarged View in perspective of a piece of nonrunhosiery fabric with the stitches widely separated and the shiftingpolnts in cooperation with every other needle, the left wall of theshifting point being cut away and thereby permitting shifting to theright.

Referring to the drawings and especially Figure 1, wherein the groovedshifting point 8 is disclosed, the shifting point comprising the body 9and its shank 10, is arranged in cooperation with every other needle 11.It will be noted that the side and back Wall of the body 9 for thegreater portion of the body of the shifting point is cut away down tothe extremity 12 of the shifting point. The body of the shifting pointalso has a groove 10a from 13 to 14, and this groove will vary accordingto the types-and various styles of full fashion hose knitting machines.As disclosed the needle 11 has resulted in cooperation with the shiftingpoint, permitting the extremity 12 of the shifting point to enter thegroove 13 of the needle, while the heard 15 of the needle lies adjacentor within the cut away portion of the shifting point. By permitting thebeard of the needle 11 to cooperate with the shifting point where itsback and side wall on the left are cut away, the beard of the needleremains open on the downward motion of the needle 11, and the shiftingpoint 8, for one half the stitch 16, is retained by the beard 15 whilethe other one half of the stitch 16 is caught by the shifting point.

Referring to Figure 8 and Figure 9 it is to be noted that the shiftingpoints 17, while also consistin of the bodies 18 and the shanks19,11av1ng the right wall and the back wall of the shifting point forthe greater portion of their length from 20 to the extension 21 cut awayon the right hand side, the shifting points being shown in cooperationwith each and every needle, that is to say to cover every needle. Inthis use of the shifting point in cooperation with every needle 22, theextremity 21 of the shifting points move downwardly in the grooves 23 ofthe needles, while at the same time the beards 2 1 are left open,retaining one half of the stitch 25 under the beard, and at the sametime another one half of the stitch 25 is caused to be pushed upwardlyover the outside of the shifting point, leaving one half of the stitch25 on the needle and the other one half on the outside of the shiftingpoint. In this manner of co operation of the shifting points with eachand every needle it is possible to produce a closely knitted hosieryfabric for use in the manufacture ,of nonrun hosiery for street,business and office wear. Also with reference to Figures 8 and 9, theshifting point being cut away on the right hand side, permits theshifting of the stitch to the left.

Referring to the Figures 10 and 11 it is obvious that the shiftingpoints are of the same construction as in Figure 8, namely the righthand side of the walls of the bodies of the shifting points are cutaway, thereby permitting shifting of the stitch to the left.

However in Figures 10 and 11 the shifting points are shown incooperation with every other needle, thereby permitting a piece ofnonrun fabric to be made, of a texture substantially open and of thelace appearance, for the production of hosiery for use at eveningfunctions. In Figures 10 and 11, the shifting points 17 are in positionstraveling downwardly to take one half the stitch 25 from the needles 22.As previously stated this operation is only possible by having the backand one of the sides of the shifting point cut away for the greater partof its length, namely from 20 to 21, so that the needle 22 in movingdownwardly retains one half the stitch 25 in position, while the otherone half of the stitch is passing and engaging under the heard 24 of theneedle, and this operation is only possible due to the beard 24remaining open, at the same time the nee-, dle 22 presses into theshifting point. It will be noted that in Figure 10 one half of thestitch is passing over the outer edge of the shifting point and directlyunder the beard 2d of the needle. In Figure 10 it is disclosed that theshifting point is in a position moving downwardly to take one half thestitch 25 from the needle. In Figures 10, 11, 12 and 13 a piece ofnonrun fabric for hosiery is in formation, and -due to the shiftingpoints in cooperation with every other needle, the stitches will berelatively open and present a lace appearingfabric for use in hosieryfor evening wear.

However in Figures 12 and 13 the shifting points 17 have the left handside of the walls of their bodies 18 cut away from 26 to the extremity27, in which case the shifting points are adapted for cooperation withevery other needle for shifting the stitches to the right.

In Figure 11 one half the stitch 25 is shifted to the left in readinessto be received on the needle 22. It will also be noted in Figure 11 theother one half of the stitch is held under the heard 24, and in thisposition the needle 22 presses into the shifting point, that is to sayinto the groove 10a of the shifting point, after which the shiftingpoint 17 and the needle 22 will move upwardly and the stitch 25 islooped around the top of the needle 22, forming a loop around bothneedles 22 and 22a, thereby locking the stitch.

In Figure 10 the stitches are shifting to the left using every otherneedle and every other shifting point. Figure 11 discloses the stitchbeing picked up by shifting point and shifted to the left. In Figure 12a second movement is disclosed showing the stitch shifted to the right,using every other needle and every other shifting point, the needlesmoving upwardly to take the stitch from the shifting point.

In Figure 13 the shifting of the stitches is accomplished to the rightalso using every other needle and every other shifting point, themovement being downwardly. Upon spreading loops in nonrun hosiery fabricconstructed on a full fashion knitting machine, the shifting point andneedle are lowered together, the needle being moved forwardly to bringthe needle beard into the groove of the shifting point. The needle isadditionally moved downwardly resulting in permitting the .beard toremain open, and upon further downward movement of both needle andshifting point positions the loop upon the transfer point and insidetheneedle beard, as indicated in Fig. 4.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed is:

1. In a process for knitting nonrun hosiery fabric, the steps consistingin moving vertically from raised positions a bank of shifting pointswhose one wall and back are cut away to positions opposite a bank ofneedles momentarily at rest, moving the needles forward into cooperationand into engagement with the lower portions of the grooves of theshifting points to such positions as will allow the needle beards toremain open just sufliciently as to catch one half of each of thestitches and be so retained by the shifting points, the shifting pointsnow momentarily pausing, needle motion carrying the banks of needlesslightly downwardly, caused by advancing needle bar downwardl allowingneedle beards to open still further, eliminating possibility of needlebeards missing the stitches on the downward motion, retainin one half ofeach stitch under the needle bear shifting points picking up the otherhalf of the stitches, ready to be shifted to adjoining needles, theother one half of the stitches being retained by the needle beards, theshifting points and the needles subsequently moving downwardly.

2. In the process of spreading loops on a full fashion knitting machinethe following steps; lowering the transfer point and needle together,forwardly moving the needle to bring the needle beard into the groove ofthe transfer point, additionally moving the needle downwardly resultingin permitting the beard to remain open, and further downward movement ofboth needle and transfer point to locate the loop upon the transferpoint and inside the needle beard.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

FRANK STEVENSON.

